Needle threader



Feb. 27, 1951 As 2,543,587

NEEDLE THREADER Filed July 2, 1946 '6 a 7 l; g-

iii /5 Patented F eb. 27, 1951 f.

if err-Ares Appli'cation'July 2, 194.6,ZSerial Now-805880 1 In Sweden Novemherilirifl i i 61Claims. 1 "Thepresentinvention-hasiforrits object an-im- .proved needle -:threjader.

The main objectof rthesinvention is 'toxprovide 7 an apparatus ;for the purpose; of facilitating the threading of needles.

issltsrisgamohiectaofttherinventiomto provide a 31s imple;iinexpensiveaneedle;threadera-which;can eroperated by-i the sense aof touchalone :without v.qthe use of :the eyes.

It:-.=is; ant: object ofitheginventioni:to'provide a 5::needleiithreader:awithr a; :needle'rreceiving means i :having. a: notchaadapt'edrtoengage the; eyegend. of a..-a1'le8d1e"inrSllChf2; manner that-the eyer'of the needle lies in aplaneparalleltozthe-moving direc- .tionrofareceiving means whereby the needle :may r be positioned for thread ng by the sense'of touch 5:210118.

v2Itsis'ran' objectziofz the -invention toprovide a r; threading hook :themotion; of--which is governed my; QLICQIII'IIRGZJHSIKSHCII that the initia1.=.portion*of :mthapathofcthahookzduring the threading operaitionr-has aqlrelatively large radius ofi curyatu-re-or is: substantially flatandpappmaches 'a "straight line.

: The present invention:employsv a tthreadiengaging meansewhich whilershowmas a-hookois zxnotglimited thereto. The-thread: engaging'means liszconnected to: and guided bya cam-means. -,-;The term cam", means is -taken -toginclude. all .:-those i. kinematic arrangements; suclriaswcamsaand cam =followers, linkages; specialgearings anclathe like LEZWhiCh will guide @the thread: engaging means ::a-10ng:;a preselecteclrpath {which isypreferably-ra dine;- of-avariable; curvature, orevendiscontinuity i; lyingwimor substantially ina single ,plane. a It: is- J I ethecharacter of this path-orplanecurve-which isone; of ,thespecific objects of thelinvention.

The cammeanszort guiding structure visl-sokdesigned kinematically'ithat the 'zneedle threading .omeansmoves-inwhat ,maysbe re ardedcasdistinct steps. awhile: this, path of motionimayl be broken-into; several parts .-,the .charactereof two such partsedeemed r-tonbe of prime, importance audi -will Joe-i set. forthiin. certain of ,thei laim l Thoseatwo path-[portions may K be :termed. (a) the thread engaginggyportionr and .\(b) ',-Ithe needle rjv,-.threading,porticn. l lTheiother.partsgofitheipath are not critical. o

:The-v thread i engaging path portion-i should he 7; 1 off. a quite different echaractervigthan ,the --.ne1ed1e threading-portion. :ln the thread engagingportion' the needles. threading --means lmoves ,OVBIZ. a .wide curve oreven a straightt line until the thread is engaged, thenathe needle .,threading; means alcbai eswthe edirectioncoi its path or, 151110111911 (Clii223-99) V 2 i-;-;abrr iptly,.;and: draws vrthe :thread I through, the emeedlefsweye. Pathnportionda) maybe theta-re wot a soirc le, butL itsv radius is much greater 1 than .aethat otepathaportion -(b) Again; path portion (b) may be: thought oi as merelya point o-t-very sharp curvatureof discontinunitysas where-two .flat ncurves-yorulines: meet to form-- an angle. At :such point there is. aa'rapid changeiof direction ,,vwhich "yields :the ::needle ;;threading--.action. -\Whetherpath; sportion (b) and i theresulting needle threading. action flows from asharp curve inethe, :path of; the:needlethreadinggmeans after eengagingathe threador 'fiowsffrom an angular changerof-idirection,= zboth- .-are covered by" the phrase-small radiusof curvature. This is;true gbecausemathematicalpoints in the present sense are mot :achieved: in physical embodiments" of akinematic arrangements and so-thepath (b) will :have: physical; len thvanda radius 10f curvature however: small.

'1 Of; perhaps equalqimportance is that feature the invention-which: permits its use-by the z ;blind..."fEhejeyet-of a needler has two sides sepao oziratedabya substantial distance. When placedon a ':,flat: surface: and rotate(l -zone can tell. by the .hssense gofstouicho alone 'ifz-jthe, needle eye is parallel mtorther fiat -surface Iihe needle: may be rocked from one side ate;. thefother andis in: stable equilibrium:; o nly, when bothsides 5 of" the needles eye mare:restingonl-the fiat surface. i-si the same position :in :whichxthe :nedle must i be ,rtofzbe :1 :threaded. :is: accordingly: an object qofctheinl-aventionitocprovide a :needle receiving notch havingza narrowjl'flat bottom only a little wider'than etahead oi; a needle. 'nWhena needle is placed thereinlitherwallsguide:the needle head to the *JbOttOm'LOf the notch where it -is' rotated until a I-fiat side is down and resting on the flat bottom of.zithe .notch.- zThe-vineedleithreader camthen be i.tsuecessfullyuoperated.g All of this can readilyche ildcne?withouttheiuse ofigithe eyes This is amcst important :function fin-c. a:;needle threader-qand won-e which the artthas'sadly neglected.

prefemr1edaembodimentz isish'own'ein? the taccompanyingi drawing.

Fig; 1 -shows awertical section of thezapparatus. -Figl 2 is avertic'al section taken on theline' II-:-II inFig: 1'oi'-an= end portion o'f'the apparatus' com- 50" "prising' the thre'ading mechanism; Fig: 3' shows afsimilar section-as Fig; l butwith'the'movable lflmembers in "another-working position. Figp 4 :iis a"top"plan'view. thereof with the -eye -of*- a needle. Figures. 5 tot 8 inclusive show different smsitions; of, the lihreadinermemb r d n e course of working. All of the figures are shown in enlarged scale for .the sake of clearness.

The threading mechanism is mounted in a double end wall of a box I, which may serve for keeping a thread reel 3, of which only an end is shown in Fig. 4. The most essential part of the threading mechanism consists of a threading member 4 preferably made of a fine steel wire or the like which is secured in a holder 5, and at its free end is provided with a hook 6, which may pass through the needle eye and catch the thread 1. The holder 5 is substantially square in plan and near one of its edges provided with slots 8, in which the threading member 4 is inserted, so that it is held by the holder 5. At its upper corner at the opposite edge the holder 5 is provided with an ear 9, which is pivoted on a movable slide I!) mounted between the two plates of the end wall 2. Slide is provided with side flanges slidable in grooves II in the inner sides of said plates. This slide In in its end opposite to the end at which the holder is suspended is provided with a recessed passage l2, through which the threading member l is passed. Just above the passage l2 this end of the slide I0 is provided with a notch l3, adapted to engage the needle end provided with the eye [4 in such position of the needle that the opening of the eye lies in a plane parallel to the moving direction of the slide H). the slide to the right (according to Figures 1 and 2 in the drawing) is counteracted by a U-shaped spring l6 of which one end is pressed against the right end of the slide ID and the other end against one side wall of the box. The lower edge of the holder 5 is provided with a cam opening l'l, through which extends a pin 18 inserted in the plates 2. Pin 18 operates as a cam'follower in the sense that it cooperates with the edges of opening I! to produce the thread engaging and needle threading movements of hook 6 as described above. In the upper edge of the side wall of the box l, towards which the end of the slide 19 provided with the notch I3 is directed,

a recess [9 is provided, which serves as a seat for the needle l5 in position to be threaded. Recess i9 is just wide enough to receive a needle head without wedging and has a flat bottom on which the needle head may be turned until stable equilibrium is reached. On the upper edge of the right wall plate 2 (according to Fig. 4) a spring holder 20 is secured, under which the thread portion between the needle and the reel is jammed at a desired point, so that the thread may be snapped off at said point, and the thread portion retained by the spring holder 20 is held in correct position for the next threading operation.

In order to'thread the needle it is positioned in the recess 19 with the eye end directed against the slide I!) and ro-tated until one of the flat sides is against the bottom of notch or recess l9 and takes the resting osition shown in Fig. 5.

After that the slide 10 by means of the needleend is pushed to the position shown in Fig. 3

against the action of the spring 16 acting on the holder 5, by which the threading member 4 is raised. When withdrawing the needle the slide is returns by action of the spring, whereby the thread is caught by the threading member 4 and is drawn through-the needle eye, as illustrated in Figures '7 and 8. By this operation the bight of the thread 1 threaded through the needle forms a loop, one part of which is jammed between the hook 6 and the walls of passage I2 on The sliding movement of the slide Ill, so that a desired length of the thread may be drawn from the reel 3 when the needle I5 is removed from the apparatus. A slight pull is sufficient to release thread 1 from engagement with the hook 6. Thereupon the thread is moved to the spring holder 20, in which the thread is snapped 011.

What I claim is:

1. In a needle threader, a body member, slide means mounted on said body member, a track for said slide means, thread holding means mounted adjacent said track and arranged to position a thread at an angle greater than twenty degrees to said track, thread engaging means and cam means comprising a slotted plate and a pin acting on the walls of said slot and controlling the successive positions of said thread engaging means in such a manner as to engage a thread and direct it through the eye of a needle said slot having two substantially parallel walls and a third wall diagonally disposed to said first two walls, all three walls being connected and forming the cam surface of said cam means, said thread engaging means being mounted on said cam means.

2. In a needle threader, thread engaging means, cam control means connected to said thread engaging means, said cam control means comprising a slotted member and a relatively movable member engaging the walls of said slot whereby said thread engaging means is guided into thread engaging position over a smooth path and into needle threading position over a path sharply departing from said smooth path.

3. In a needle threader, thread engaging means, a pivoted member mounting said means, cam means connected to said pivoted member and comprising a cam surface and a cooperating element arranged to ride on a portion of said curved surface, said cam means having a kinematic cycle which imparts an initial rise to said thread engaging means, an intermediate thread engaging relatively fiat travel and a needle threading dip to said thread engaging means, said thread engaging relatively flat travel portion of said cycle approximating a straight line.

4. In a needle threader, needle engaging means, thread engaging means movable along a curved path, thread holding means arranged to position a thread across the path of travel of said thread engaging means, a cam member and a cooperating cam fol ower member, one of said members carrying said thread engaging means, said cam member and said follower member cooperating to produce the curved path of travel of said thread engaging means such that said path has a thread engaging portion of relatively large radius and a needle threading portion of relatively small initial radius of curvature.

5. In combination in a needle threader, a body member, a slide track carried thereby, slide means mounted on said track, a plate pivoted to said slide means, thread engaging means carried by said plate, a cam surface on a portion of said plate removed from said pivot, a cam follower pin carried by said body member and cooperating with the cam surface portion of said plate whereby said thread engaging means undergoes a needle threading cycle comprising a sharp initial rise, an intermediate thread engaging movement of relatively flat travel and a needle threading dip by which a needle is threaded.

6. In a needle threader, thread engaging means mounted for threading movement, pivoted cam means carryingsaid thread engaging means, said cam means including angularly disposed relatively Straight portions, a follower cooperating with said straight portions whereby upon pivotal movement of said cam means the thread engaging means is initially movable for thread engaging in a path of relatively large radius of curvature and subsequently in a path for needle threading of relatively sharp curvature.

NILS REINHOLDVNAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 620,640 Darling Feb. 28, 1899 853,766 Buerger May 14, 1907 1,562,474 Rice Nov. 24, 1925 10 2,281,180 Christ Apr. 28, 1942 

